From the Library of Jurgen Leitner

by Premee Mohamed, Jonathan Sims

Brought to you by Penguin.

Enter the library of an enigmatic collector, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost, with this uncanny eldritch horror novel from Nebula Award–winning author Premee Mohamed and The Magnus Archives’ Jonathan Sims.

Fear comes before the fall.

In the winding, perilous corridors of Jurgen Leitner’s private library, you never know what you’ll find. A starving cookbook. An ancient scroll that casts cool, predatory breezes. A cloth-bound hardback that compels you to DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG.

Free, these books are more than simply unnerving—they’re deadly. But the library keeps their dangers in check and their would-be readers safe. . . .

Or so Leitner claims.

For two of his employees, the risks are worth it. Hugh Franklin, research assistant, has finally found a place he belongs, where his skill in translation is valued, even if his employer is a bit odd. Sebastian Everett, acquisition specialist, can indulge his arcane ambitions, even if it means pretending to care about Leitner’s mission.

Though their tenures at the library were years apart, Hugh and Sebastian’s stories unfold in parallel, and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisles, caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name “Jurgen Leitner.”

Will they find a way out . . . or will the library consume them before it’s too late?

Jonathan Sims 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Adult

Audible Audio

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

Premee Mohamed is a Nebula award-winning Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod and the author of the 'Beneath the Rising' series of novels as well as several novellas. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues and she can be found on Twitter at @premeesaurus and on her website at www.premeemohamed.com.

Reviews

[Zippora]

cannot wait to read The Book That Kills You from hit audiodrama "Do Not Under Any Circumstance Read The Book That Kills You"

[Maxie Krane]

Someone hit me with a pipe I’m so excited.

[N0CT1S . . .]

holy shit

[Taylor]

Where's the Michael Scott "Everybody stay calm" gif?

[sophie]

dnfing at 20% ish. i am so sick of books set in established universes trying to be a stand-alone. Publishers do this in theory to reach a new audience and gain sales without alienating new readers, but they fail to recognize that new readers do not take risks on 30-dollar hardcovers based on podcasts. if you've listened to the original series, which will be Literally Everyone Who Reads This Book, there will be no mystery or suspense or literally anything fun to unravel because you already have the answers. This is pissing me off so bad that I have to dnf like. who sat down and said yeah, Jurgen Leitner, the most interesting side character of all time, let's tell the story through the nothingburger interns of the guy who is famous for being killed to death hilariously. Spoilers ig

[Julia]

Not going to lie, I read this even though I’ve never listened to the podcast. Oddly enough this is my second podcast based book I read this year where I didn’t listen to the podcast first. And I loved both of them. I might have to go find some more.

This was a wild journey. What do you mean the books are all possessed and the interns are dispensable. Loved every minute of the mystery. The ending was so satisfying for once.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I need more of this story. All opinions are very much my own.

[Emma Cathryne]

THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES and PREMEE MOHAMED? Do not play with me rn............

[lyn]

trying to be normal about this while grocery shopping ......... (upcoming, late 2026)

[Disha]

EXCUSE ME???

[Maja Stefan]

Surely reading the book that makes people die and/or go insane will not make ME die and/or go insane!

[Alan]

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
The premise of this book sounded right up my alley. But for whatever reason, it never really grabbed me. I don't know if it was the back-and-forth of the timelines or the writing itself, but I just couldn't get into it.

[Abby]

On my birthday??

[Naz]

4.75 Stars.

Jurgen Leitner has a private library of obscure, peculiar texts; but proceed with caution unsuspecting reader, these books are either trying to kill you or will slowly drive you insane. Rest assured, a shrewd curator of curiosities such as Leitner knows to outsource any direct analysis of his rare collection to the expendable research assistants under his employ. As you can rightly imagine, the pay might be good, but the staff turnover is atrociously high.

This novel is a compellingly unique blend of dark academia and weird anomalous fiction. Although I wasn’t familiar with Sims’ horror anthology podcast, this was still a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, equally engrossing in its own right; with witty, wry prose and an intriguing glimpse into the Magnus Archive world. There’s eldritch monstrosities disguised as unassuming books, mysterious artefacts boasting of insidious properties and intricately fascinating lore that leaves you eager to explore further.

The narrative is split between Hugh Franklin, a past research assistant/translator for the library and the present day Sebastian Everett, who predominantly works in book acquisition. Whereas Hugh is the fumbling awkward scholar, Sebastian is the self-aggrandising schemer; their parallel stories portray contrasting experiences of working for Jurgen Leitner and his library. Both feel like well-developed characters; certainly flawed, yet starkly distinct, with individual voices and motivations, recognisable as narrative shifts between them.

Theres a web being spun that becomes increasingly apparent as the distance between the two dual perspectives becomes narrower. it’s definitely both entertaining and satisfying to see everything click into place; culminating to some well-earned poetic justice. As a minor gripe I would have liked the story to delve further into the various bizarre books in Leitner’s possession; but despite that, this was overall an exceptionally enjoyable novel with an intensely vivid, and shocking end.

I’m definitely interested in listening to the original podcast; although this novel can certainly be read as a standalone, I look forward to further delving into the exceptionally well-crafted wider mythos of the world within which Leitner’s Library inhabits. Likewise I’m intrigued to read more of Johnathan Sims and Premee Mohamed and would love to see more novelisation of the Magnus Archives in the future.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the eARC. I love a good book about books and this was an exceptionally compelling read that leaves you wanting more!

[Annie]

Most people are speaking metaphorically when they say that books are dangerous. Jurgen Leitner is deadly serious when he talks about the books he’s spent his life collecting. And judging by the frightening amount of turnover among his staff, Leitner is correct. In Premee Mohamed and Jonathan Sims‘s new novel, From the Library of Jurgen Leitner, we see two men wrestle with Leitner for control of his collection of books that are just waiting to wreck havoc...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

[litch! (cryptidcasanova)]

Review courtesy of an ARC provided by NetGalley

I consider TMA to be one of the greatest pieces of horror media ever written, so my expectations for this novel were fairly high to begin with. Approaching the story as is, without any bias, I would say it’s difficult to ascertain how interesting this would be to a newcomer. The setup takes a good while to build momentum, introducing a cast of characters that feel regrettably disposable aside from our titular librarian and his trusted assistant, Sebastian.

I wish this had focused just a bit more on the 976 haunted books in the library. I had hoped for a book-within-the-book approach to some of the chapters, in the spirit of the podcast, which sadly wasn’t the case. Sim’s penchant for telling a scary story really shines in this format, and it may have allowed for a much-needed element of suspense in an otherwise dry setup.

The last chapter featured a killer cameo from my absolute favorite entity, just when I’d lost hope of seeing them again, which did have me giggling and kicking my feet with joy!!

If you loved MagPod and find yourself longing for an opportunity to revisit the universe, don’t miss this one! If you’re new to the series, I would recommend giving the podcast a go before tackling this novel—I’m not sure you’d feel the same glee without catching the easter eggs.

Eternally grateful to NetGalley and Del Rey for this chance to return to the world of The Magnus Archives after five long years.

(Statement ends. ;) )

[sideatsbooks]

jonathan sims let me in let me in let me in

[Rose!!]

Shout out to Random House Worlds and NetGalley for this ARC! The moment I heard several (!!!) books from the world of The Magnus Archives were coming out, I’ve been eagerly waiting to request them. From the Library of Jurgen Leitner captures the feeling of The Magnus Archives so well. It was the perfect story from the universe to start on. I very much enjoyed making connections between the book and the podcast. Premee Mohamed and, obviously, Jonathan Sims did an incredible job of building out and expanding on the concept of the library and the people involved. Jurgen Leitner is a fascinating character and seeing who he had been prior to episode 80 of the podcast was so illuminating. There were several points where I paused reading so that I could listen to an episode I felt related back to the book. This was, at times, claustrophobic, nauseating, and terrifying all in equal measure. Highly recommend for fans of the podcast. (And highly suggest relistening to episode 80 after you finish!) Even if you haven’t listened to the podcast, this is a good place to start!

[Elena]

I would like to start by saying I have not listened to the Magnus Archives podcast, and until I picked up this book, I’ve never heard of it. Nevertheless, the description intrigued me immediately, and I requested it immediately. I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved this!

The setting being a strange library full of dangerous books capable of dangerous things, there was a strong dark academia vibe, which is perfect for fall. The writing was so evocative, I could easily imagine walking through the silent halls of Jurgen Leitner’s library and dreading an inevitable scream of terror. There was just enough exposure to the books to make me wonder what else is out there. Of course, that is the fallacy of book collecting, as we get to see: it’s never enough, and you always want more. Knowledge is power, and in the case of these strange books, quite literal power.

The world-building absolutely fascinated me the further I read on, and I constantly wished to know more. Personally, I love it when I’m not given all the answers in horror books, so of course I greatly enjoyed that some questions were left unanswered for me. I do wonder if I would still be mystified about some things had I actually listened to the podcast beforehand. For example, certain entities or powers seemed really interesting but were not fully explained, which contributed to the overall creepy feeling, but I am curious to know more. I will definitely check out the podcast now, because if it is anything like this book, I know I will love it.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book was the choice of main characters. I cannot stress enough how integral the dual POV is to the story. Neither Hugh nor Sebastian is likable, but they are interesting. I can forgive an utterly hateable character as long as they are interesting to read about, so this was right up my alley. Hugh and Sebastian could not be any more different, yet strangely still share a common ambition. I really appreciated how different their POVs felt: Sebastian was almost in some sort of a noir spy movie, meanwhile Hugh was just really not having a good time in his psychedelic spiral. Each was fascinating in their own right, and when I say I gasped when it all came together at the end! Not that the way the story turned out was wholly unexpected, yet somehow it was still more than I did expect? I’m afraid I’m doing a very poor job of hyping this up. Just believe me that the web being woven in this novel is intricate, and when it gets tightened, nobody gets away.

My only gripe was honestly that I wanted more of titular Jurgen Leitner himself in the story. We see glimpses of him here and there, but I really did wish to know more, and especially at the end. For all Sebastian and Hugh talk about the man, we never see his internal world, and he remains, largely, an enigma. However, as I said earlier, I do enjoy the lack of answers, so maybe if I was told his entire life story, I would have been complaining that we learned too much!

So all in all, 10/5, probably one of my favorite books of the year so far. It just really hit the spot for me. “From the Library of Jurgen Leitner” has it all: horror, books, interesting characters, and dark academia vibes. So happy I picked this book up, and I recommend this to anyone who likes these things. As a bonus for me, now I get to go listen to the Magnus Archives to keep the fun going!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

[Dan]

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for an advance copy of this work of fantasy about a specialty library that's shelves stretch to infinite places, loaded with books of particular interest, and particular dangers, and the poor wage slaves who research and acquire these tomes.

I have an odd skill that has helped me quite a bit in the various bookstores that I have worked at. For some reason if I touch a book, I can remember it, where I placed it, and quite a bit about it. Many a manager has asked me to find something that got misshelved, misplaced or hidden for various reasons. I have a sense for books, one that has helped me in chain stores, and especially used stores. This might sound strange, but to me books have an aura, a life to them that I can get almost immediately, even if the plot and story inside the covers is lifeless. I know this is weird, but it is something that I always have been able to do. And a skill that I am sure would be quite useful in this library featured here. What however I would be touch with though, might not be for the best. From the Library of Jurgen Leitner (The Magnus Archieves is a book based on a podcast story written by award winning author Premee Mohamed based on ideas by Jonathan Sims and tells of the workers in a strange library, the works that are contained, the secrets they keep, and the dangers these books contain.

Jurgen Leitner has a private library, loaded with books, and more arriving all the time. These are not normal books, no publisher remainders, or bloated political books. These books are small, maybe printed in batches of ones or two. With faded covers, reeking of mold, water, and other things, from the earth and from far beyond it. Leitner is a dealer in the rare, the esoteric, and the dangerous, keeping these books locked up tight in aisles that go on for miles. Or infinity. Books that make reader dig, books that call up winds, call up water, or even worse, things that should not be. Leitner is always on the hunt, meaning that he needs a lot of employees, and these employees might not last long. Those to catalog, those to find, and even more those to test. Hugh Franklin has a gift for languages, not only reading but speaking them. Hugh also has a problem keeping a job, and some secrets he wishes not to discuss. Years later Sebastian Everett is brought into the library, with a skill for acquiring books, and a skill for getting into them, finding their uses, their wonders, all in search of arcane knowledge. These two wander the shelves at different times, but their investigations bring them together, a search that might destroy the library, and everything we know.

A mix of book lore, eldritch horror, a little workplace comedy and a lot of weird. The story is based on a podcast idea, one that I never listened to, or even in all honesty knew existed. I don't feel I missed anything by coming in blind, but those familiar might get more out of it the story. I enjoyed the mix of magic, monographs and mystery, though I did think the writing was a little removed. That could have just been me. An interesting world that I would like to know more about, and one that could grow on me.

[Charles]

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!

I want to start this with my “Jurgen Leitner’s Best Hits” MAG episode list, which I listened to when I binge-read this in one sitting. This included MAG 4, 17, 35, 41, 46, 62, 66, 68, 80, 88, 92, 110, 148, and 193. Although, if you’re a slower reader, I’d suggest also adding these (not Leitner but also relevant) MAG 8, 16, 81, 123, 136, 147, 172, 196. This is assuming you’re relistening, however, not suggested for new listeners.
Hugh’s coworker, Jacob, is also mentioned by name in MAG80
I created a Spotify playlist titled Leitner’s Greatest Hits :)

On to my review!
I have been refreshing the Edelweiss page for this book since… well, since well before it was even listed, actually. But, to my surprise, it came up on NetGalley over the weekend, and I was approved this afternoon! I excitedly dropped my plans for the day (finishing the TV show Evil and doomscrolling) to binge-read this. As a die-hard TMA fan, it really delivered.

I’ve been a fan since late 2020, my first tattoo even being an eye inspired by it, and it has been a special interest of mine as well. My AP art final was a mixed media journal based on the fears and most of the episodes, countless art projects based on it, cosplays, a few dioramas I made of Jon’s office and an archival hallway. Hell, 90% of my wardrobe revolves around “Would Jon or Martin wear this?” TLDR: I was PUMPED for this, but also a bit curious as to how more lore would be created not solely written by Jonny and Alex. Premee Mohamed did an excellent job of maintaining a similar voice to that we know from TMA and TMP but with a new story and lore. There were moments that felt a bit more… fantastical, I suppose? Than TMA feels to me, less psychological and more creature-feature (pun intended), though that may just be a me-issue. However, there were MANY attributes that felt so TMA-y, I really loved a lot of the inclusions of otherworldly instances. Specifically the woman in the graveyard, that Leitner she was tied to was particularly interesting to me.

This book did a phenomenal job of tying the two timelines together, and to turn Leitner into more of a character than we see in TMA itself. It’s also incredibly interesting to see how eerily similar Leitner’s setup is to the Archives… I find myself left with some more questions, especially about the names of the various rooms in Leitner’s library.

The easter eggs throughout the book were some of my favorite parts, I loved keeping an eye out for them once I caught on. Make sure to look out for a brick ;).

All in all, this feels like an excellent add-on to the TMA universe. I can not wait for people to read this and get a glimpse into Leitner’s reality and what really happened to the Leitner Library in 1994, before the Brutal Pipe Murder.

[Jeff Finch]

As of the writing of this review, I’ve listened to approximately 130 episodes of the podcast The Magnus Archives, and for every single episode, I have been enthralled, engaged, glued to the speakers, you name it. And yet, much to my disappointment, Jonathan Sims hadn’t written a novel in The Magnus Archives world (though as of finishing this review, I’ve discovered that there are transcripts of each episode online and now I’m itching to get started). Until now, co-authoring with multiple award winning author Premee Mohamed to craft a unique, creepy, well paced background featuring one of the prominent characters in the podcast: Jurgen Leitner. Listeners of the podcast will know exactly who he is, non-listeners will be meeting him for the first time but should still enjoy this, as its atmosphere of claustrophobia and trouble around seemingly every corner is more than fulfilling enough for anyone looking for a mystery with a bevy of horrifying moments.

The novel alternates between two different characters directly associated with Leitner’s library and his catalogue of horrifically bizarre and dangerous books: Hugh and Sebastian. Each chapter has a month and corresponding year (early 90’s) to alert readers to how close these events occurred to one another. It’s the difference in how each character behaves within the library and around the books that makes for a fascinating plot device, as the two have completely different personalities and perspectives in their relationship with Leitner and their feelings towards the requirements necessary to survive these books unscathed, or relatively so.

Even as a listener of the podcast and aware of Leitner and his infamous library, every scene with the man, even if he’s just mentioned, is enthralling, his apathy towards people but his deep concern for his catalogue a fascinating portrait of a man dead set on keeping his books safe and attempting to prevent grievous bodily harm not necessarily for his people but to save himself hassle. Even some of the minor characters mentioned have enough of a relationship with Leitner that readers can see how he reacts to varying forms of accidents and mistakes, some of them genuinely unsettling if not downright disturbing.

While the back and forth between characters can get a tad cumbersome as the tension builds up in each timeline, thus making the switch jarring at points, each character is in such a chaotic state that it takes very little time to reorient oneself and feel that grip tighten once again.

All said, this book was an excellent addition to the Magnus Archives … archives. Having the infamous Jurgen Leitner and his library at the forefront of the storyline fleshed him out a bit more for me and has ultimately led to my starting the Magnus Archives over with this pre-podcast Leitner info at the helm. While it doesn't really contain much in the way of mind blowing content linked to the podcast, as a character study both directly and indirectly, the book kept intrigue at a high level at most points, making that ‘cosmic horror rife with psychological suspense and dread’ work fantastically in book form.

[Jay Kang]

This was entertaining! If you like The Magnus Archives (I do), you will enjoy this book. I especially appreciated that there was more going on than references to the show. We already know where the story of this library goes, so I'm sure it was tempting to throw a bunch of easter eggs in and call it a day. This book is more ambitious than that, but I did still end up wanting more from it.

Hugh's storyline is quite moving. The development of him from a lost soul to a truly broken person was very well-done and never read as rushed or inauthentic in any way. There was no love in his life, and that desire was palpable from beginning to end. His final moments were far more poignant than I would've expected from an avatar, and I really appreciated that. Even after his transformation, he never becomes a faceless force of evil. He is who he was, only with something he never had: a purpose. The problem lies with Sebastian's storyline. I have no problem with a dislikeable lead, but they have to be interesting. Sebastian wants one simple thing, and every thought he has is about how he can get that thing. I got the sense that he only had a separate POV so that there would be a "twist" about Hugh/Cobb. But, as I said, Cobb is Hugh. They act the same. They're obviously the same. And that's a strength of characterization for him, but it means that there's no reveal for us. Sebastian's chapters become tedious very quickly, for no payoff.

Overall, fans of the Web will be very pleased. My boyfriend's biggest complaint about The Magnus Archives was that the Web gets too many spiders and literal webs and not enough manipulation that demonstrates why it is the great puppet (yes, that was his biggest; he's a big Web guy). Not so in this book. There are enough spiders, but there's plenty of manipulation, and in particular, I thought the final step of the plan to free the library was very satisfying. Because of course that was it. Of course! There were quite a few good spooks as well. I'm a big fan of the meat book. The little moments of imaginative horror that made the original series so engrossing are definitely present here. I just wish that a full half of the book wasn't taken up by such a simplistic character. Despite being fully human for the entire time, Sebastian falls victim to a flaw that many of the avatars in the original show do. He only wants one thing, and that's just not very interesting.

So, yeah, a classic 3/5. It's worth reading as a fan of TMA, because you'll definitely enjoy it, but I don't know if I'd recommend it outside that context unless you're specifically looking for a quick read that's more imaginative than scary.

[ezra]

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC.

Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded up.

“The Library of Jurgen Leitner” is a companion novel to the podcast “The Magnus Archives”, telling the story of Jurgen Leitner and his library of strange and powerful books, which listeners of the podcast will be familiar with. In this book we follow two of Leitner’s employees: Hugh Franklin, research assistant, and Sebastian Everett, acquisition specialist. Their stories are years apart, but are told at the same time as we join them in the ever-tighter web being spun around the people wandering the halls of the Library of Jurgen Leitner.

Before I talk about the book itself, I want to answer the question of “can this be read if you haven’t listened to / finished the podcast?” Honestly, I’m not sure. I definitely think it’s possible and might actually make for a really interesting reading experience, but I wouldn't necessarily say it’s the optimal way to do it. I would also just generally recommend listening to the podcast first because the podcast is absolutely amazing. However, I haven’t finished the podcast yet (I was on MAG 129 when I read this book), so I wouldn’t say you have to have listened to all 200 episodes before you can read this.

I really enjoyed this book. It didn’t quite live up to the podcast, by which I mean that it’s a lot harder to create a horror experience when there’s no sound and music accompaniment and an engaging narrator to listen to, but I also feel that this book fulfills a different purpose to the podcast. It makes it possible for TMA fans to explore the story of Jurgen Leitner, a character both familiar and mysterious, and to understand the history of the books of his library which appear repeatedly over the course of the podcast. Just for that, it succeeded in doing what I think it was meant to be doing.

The writing and plot are equally engaging, and the characters certainly have the same kind of charm that the ones we know from the podcast have.

I had a great time with this and would absolutely love to read more books set in this world, diving deeper into some of the stories and elements of the podcast that are hard to impossible to explore within the confines of that medium. If you like TMA, you will definitely also like this, and if you don’t know TMA yet… Well, get on with it so you can read this too and enjoy it to its fullest potential.

[S.E. Bristow]

I'm fangirling so IMMEASURABLY hard right now, oh my god. This book is a masterpiece comprised of all my favorite parts of my favorite piece of horror media in history.

From the library of Jurgen Leitner is a masterful story of manipulation, ownership, and how far people would go to feel in control. I screamed when I got approved for this ARC and then immediately had to reign myself in, because I have a habit of getting my hopes up too high and letting myself down. However, I can confidently say that this book did! not! disappoint! The writing is stunning and engaging, and has just enough of Jonathan Sim's almost lyrical style to it that it genuinely did, at times, feel like reading one of the statement transcripts.

Leitner was always one of my favorite names to hear in the podcast, and getting to see him characterized on-page in his "prime" was wonderful. He's exactly as cruel and spoiled and naive as Sims wrote him to be. This book is very The Web and The Spiral heavy, so don't expect a dramatic creature-feature from this book, although you'll certainly get some cameos. There were some really great references to the entities, characters, and even books we meet in the podcast, like Ex Altiora, which made the reading experience incredibly fun. However, I think even if you have no experience with the podcast at all, this book stands on its own as a narrative and can 100% be read without any TMA knowledge.

Sebastian and Hugh are incredible characters to follow, and (controversially) I love both of them deeply. Hugh takes the cake for me, to nobody's surprise. I think everyone on the internet is familiar with my love of pathetic men who don't have anyone to love and support them. I bet I could've fixed Hugh.

Even though you know exactly where the book is going to end, it never felt boring or predictable, and I loved the way the assistants were given distinct, well-thought-out personalities, despite only ever being mentioned by name one time in the podcast. And we, (yes WE) love Mikale Salesa.

Thank you so very much to Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and Rusty Quill for allowing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Chandler]

Thanks to Random House Worlds for the gifted copy - all opinions are my own.

From the Library of Jurgen Leitner is a fantastical story surrounding an obscure library and its enigmatic owner.

Told in dual POVs and timelines, the story follows two men under the employ of a Mr. Jurgen Leitner, the owner of a mysterious and powerful library. Leitner is a collector of a rare class of books, they possess unsettling (and often deadly) abilities. Even though turnover is unnaturally high, the employees are mostly content in their bizarre roles. Hugh and Sebastian’s employment terms begin years apart but when their paths eventually converge, they find themselves wrapped up in the library’s very dangerous secrets.

Admittedly, I did not realize this book held well established lore in the form of the podcast “The Magnus Archives”. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem that the podcast is a necessary prerequisite for understanding this story but I do think it may have aided my enjoyment. As it stands, I didn’t form much of a connection with any of the characters which hindered the impact of the story.

The 1990s London setting was enjoyable and certainly lent credence to the academic/literary environment. The library itself was gorgeously drawn and provided dark, enchanting intrigue. Similarly, Jurgen Leitner as a character was mysterious and stern, I would not want to be in his employ.

I’m struggling to justify this as horror. There’s certainly high stakes and one or two unsettling moments but I didn’t get the feeling that the intention of the story-telling at large was to create unease or dread. That’s a small gripe and I only mention it because my expectations were not met in that regard. Still, the fantasy elements are undeniably dark and dangerous.

The writing style was largely enjoyable and I delighted in the dry, British humor. The story-telling got a bit long-winded in spots, however. The excessive exposition could get fatiguing but I’m glad I stuck with it because the ending was gratifying.

Overall, this is probably an amazing story to complement the established podcast (which I plan on giving a listen) but I’m not sure how well it holds up for a casual reader who may pick it up on a whim.

[BookwormishMe]

What an insanely crazy book! I’ve read a lot of fantasy, horror, suspense, crime, and other genres. I have never come across a book quite like this one. The entire concept of it is in another world.

The novel starts out with a prologue dated 1986. It is the first glimpse into the insanity of working for Jurgen Leitner. Mr. Leitner is a collector of rare books. Some are just rare books. Some are more than just books, they seem to contain the ability to change things. Not necessarily in a good way. The books can adversely affect their readers. In so many ways that cannot be imagined.

Hugh Franklin has been in and out of jobs. He just seems to lack the ability to stay in any very long. As an academic, Hugh can read, speak, and translate multiple languages which made him very valuable to Leitner’s library. However, the books are dangerous in their own way, as the prologue points out.

Our story then jumps to the following year, 1993, and the narrative of Sebastian, another employee of the library. Sebastian is in Switzerland obtaining a book for the library. When Sebastian opens the book to verify its authenticity, he is overtaken by a need to scratch, scratch, scratch at the table. The book is called DIG.

The story continues, alternating between Hugh and Sebastian, along with appearances by the other employees of the Library. It is hard to tell where this novel is headed, but as time continues, it gets even more strange and deranged. It is one of the most interesting concepts of horror fiction that I’ve read. At times it can be very confusing, which I believe is to be expected.

Toward the last third of the novel, some of the wild threads start to come together with a revelation. Still absolutely insane, but entertaining. I definitely enjoyed reading this one immensely. There are a lot of gory passages, and plenty of violence. Still, since it is almost comic-book-like in its narration of the gore and violence, it is not very disturbing.

Worth a read. Fun and crazy.

[Y.N.]

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the eARC

4,5/5

I’ll preface this review by saying I am not familiar with the Magnus Archive and went in blind, trusting Premee Mohemed’s writing and intrigued by the promise of dangerous books. I am more of a secondary world fantasy reader, though I am tiptoeing into horror here and there, so I am also new to the genre, let’s say. Anyways, that’s for the context of my experience.

What can I say, I really enjoyed it. The beginning is intriguing, and as the story progresses, it has a way to creep on you, in all its mystery and threads weaved together. It’s nebulous, yes, but that’s the point, and it helps a great deal with the atmosphere; especially since the creepiness of the story comes both from the library and its book, and the people. See, yes the books are dangerous and very much non-human, but ultimately, it is the people that play a big role to stress the reader. Or at least it was for me. Maybe because I am generally wary of people and less stressed out by slightly cosmic horror weird stuff. In fact, I tend to find the creepy weirdness more wonderful and it makes me curious (and very happy when we don’t know where and what they are, even in the end).

The writing flows nicely, with a good sense of place and character. We have two POVs, in two close timeline, and they were easily differentiated, and allowed information to come organically. I liked Hugh a lot, despite his timidity and choices, and what he allows to happen with his action. Sebastian, of course, is less sympathetic but not less interesting in any way. His arrogance and assurance about his place in the world were weirdly fascinating while being annoying, nicely balanced.

All in all, very enjoyable experience, definitely recommend the book to people looking for a book about books, with a touch of cosmic/psychological horror!

[Nadya]

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the ARC!

I went into this book blind, realizing it was a prequel to a much-loved podcast only when I was about half way through. The ending would have probably been more impactful if I had the information from the podcast, but other than that it is a solid book that stands well on its own.

The story of the library of Jurgen Leitner is told through dual POVs of two of his researchers, Hugh and Sebastian. They do the jobs that Leitner gives them without always knowing what the outcome might be. Why? Because all the books in the library are evil and are, if not out to kill the reader immediately, likely to harm them in some way. Suffice to say, turnover at the library is something else. Which is fine, because neither Hugh, nor Sebastian are great people, so watching them interact with the warped world of Magnus Archives is pretty satisfying. If you have listened to the podcast, you would know what the ending of the book is, but the journey itself is much more compelling, so whether or not you know the ending the ride is worth it!

Even though we spend about equal amounts of time with both POVs, Sebastian remains in many ways an enigma. Hugh is understandable, but all we know about what moves Sebastian is that he is a third son of a wealthy nobleman, out to stake his place in the world. It is a useful stereotype, but as a result Sebastian feels a bit one-dimensional.

[Birch]

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of From the Library of Jurgen Leitner.

I'll start off by saying I've never listened to the entirety of the Magnus Archives podcast. That being said, this book definitely inspired me to go and give the entire show a listen. I love a creepy library aesthetic.

I did have a few issues with this book that affected my reading experience. One of my biggest complaints was with the pacing. There was too much descriptive language used for insignificant portions and not enough for more significant scenes. I also got lost in the paragraphs, due to jerky sentence structure and poor wording. I found myself losing focus often because I had to go back and decipher a murky and unclear sentence. It's still very readable, but maybe would have benefitted from some extra editing.

Our two main POVs, Sebastian and Hugo, are pretty unlikable. My favorite character, by far, was Chuck and I would have liked to see a bit more of her in both timelines. I won't go into too much detail as to spoil anything, but the way each character's story ends is immensely satisfying. I really enjoyed the last few chapters and epilogue of this book.

Overall, I'd say From the Library of Jurgen Leitner is a must read if you're a fan of the Magnus Archives. If not, it's still a decently written horror novel with a very pleasing aesthetic.

[Violetdazey]

Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book 🌑🖤!!!
»»———　ᢉ𐭩　———««

Rusty quill presents the MAGNUS ARCHIVES!!

It was such a good opportunity to venture into the magnus archive world once again and this book delivered it perfectly 👌

From being dark ,eerie and downright disturbing the podcast were and me being so obsessed with them that I use to make notes and connect theories and what fear is for what and much more that i don't even remember, this gave me such a horrific nostalgia and how we are exploring alot of the pre archive world and getting to know what actually the library was and those books and their further connections later on, Jonathan sims voice was the narration played during my mind while reading this book and i even played first 10 archives while reading the book, but one of the fear/entity at last was such a great idea to add, the author did such a good job putting the tma world into words and i hope rusty quill team continues to make book from this world because this deserves so much more, even movies or animation series because it will be a much more of a bigger thing, the back and forth pov between the two characters was something amazing as well, now i need to listen to the podcast again so i can relive the horrors of magnus archives once again !!

wish i was one of the intern at the library despite the horrors it hide 🖤✨️